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Age Assessment Rationale
Rationale of Age Assessment Reports:-
My
clinical opinion on the age assessment of children and young people has been
valued in court judgements and I have until now supported my medical
evaluation and clinical judgement with statistical data and population
norms.
The
statistical aspects of this approach have not however been approved by the
higher courts (see R(R) v Croydon (2011) EWHC 1473 (Admin). I therefore do
not currently use a statistical method in preparing age assessment reports.
My
clinical judgement has not been questioned. I have over 50 years of
experience as a paediatrician and am a specialist in Adolescent Medicine.
I am also a medical psychotherapist and trained in the psychological and
emotional assessment of young people.
My
knowledge of child and adolescent development together with my experience in
dealing with children from diverse ethnic backgrounds allow me to evaluate
the individual’s maturity and development. I am thus able to apply clinical
judgement to the individual’s developmental progress and come to an opinion
as to their likely age.
In view
of the difficulty in establishing exact age levels for young people whose
development is subject to a great deal of personal variation, I covered a
wide spectrum of issues in order to give a balanced view of the
developmental issues. This is in line with the current guidelines of the
Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health which state that:- “...
The most appropriate approach is to use a holistic evaluation, incorporating
narrative accounts, physical assessment of puberty and growth, and
cognitive, behavioural and emotional assessments." .
Several
papers covering different aspects of my age assessments are being considered
for publication and further research is being conducted in that area. Independent Examination The assessment is an independent examination and assessment of the individual and reaches professional conclusions which are not influenced by the individual’s own stated age.
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NEW
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A very important study has just been
concluded - thanks to those who helped. The results are available in our
book -
'Asylum Seeking Children; Including Adolescent Development and the Assessment of Age' |
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